Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is planning a large ground operation in Gaza, based on the belief that conquering and holding Gaza territory will allow Israel to finally defeat Hamas, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.

Netanyahu and his inner circle, including people appointed in recent months to various positions, belive that Hamas must be hit hard before any political solution can be advanced for the fate of Gaza, the report says.

Netanyahu and his new team, including Defense Minister Yisrael Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, believe that Hezbollah’s defeat last year and the Trump administration’s willingness to support a renewed attack against Hamas give them more room to maneuver on the battlefield. They believe that Israel could have inflicted greater damage on Hamas during the first round of war if it had not been hampered by a shortage of ammunition and pressure from the Biden administration to use less force and provide humanitarian aid.

The Trump administration has now increased the flow of weapons and Hezbollah’s defeat also means that Israel has more forces to deploy in Gaza to conquer territory and control humanitarian aid shipments.

“Hamas’ tunnel system will need to be destroyed, an effort that could take months or years, more terrorists will be eliminated and Gaza will be in even more ruins, but in the end, it will weaken the terror group,” supporters of resuming the battle were quoted as saying.

Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said on Friday that the IDF will begin to permanently seize territory in the Gaza Strip if Hamas doesn’t release the hostages.

“I have instructed the IDF to seize additional areas in Gaza, evacuate the population, and expand security zones around Gaza to protect Israeli communities and IDF soldiers,” Katz said.

“The more Hamas persists in its refusal to release the hostages, the more territory it will lose, which will be annexed to Israel.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)